The dual mission of the Grec Festival of Barcelona—to showcase major international productions while also supporting and presenting local talent—is clearer than ever in this year’s theatre lineup. From June 26 to July 31, the program features big names like Declan Donnellan, Milo Rau, and Tiago Rodrigues, alongside fresh discoveries and new works by well-known creators.

Among the highlights from leading international figures—and in chronological order—is a renewed version of a legendary production: Faustus in Africa! by South Africa’s renowned Handspring Puppet Company and illustrator/filmmaker William Kentridge. Originally premiered in the 1990s, this reimagined version returns to the stage with themes of Goethe, colonialism, and our shared fascination with instant gratification. It will be performed at the Fabià Puigserver stage of Teatre Lliure on June 27 and 28 (pictured; photo by Fiona McPherson).

The international journey continues at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya from July 4 to 6, with a stage adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s novel The Hours performed by the Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam Ensemble, directed by Norwegian artist Eline Arbo. Virginia Woolf and the spirit of Mrs. Dalloway take center stage in this production. And if you saw Cadela força last year, you won’t want to miss The Brotherhood, the second installment of Carolina Bianchi and Cara de Cavalho’s trilogy on sexual violence. This emotionally intense piece will be staged at Teatre Lliure (Sala Fabià Puigserver) on July 11 and 12. That same venue will also host performances of Mother Courage (Moeder Courage) on July 16 and 17, directed by Lisaboa Houbrechts and performed by the Belgian company KVS—a take on Brecht that seeks contemporary language to speak about war, a topic that resonates strongly today.

At the Teatre Grec, Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod continue their collaboration with Spain’s Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico, bringing The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Los 2 Hidalgos de Verona) to the stage. Cheek by Jowl and the classics, once again together, will take over the Teatre Grec on the nights of July 18 and 19.

Among the leading voices in contemporary theatre, Milo Rau stands out for his raw explorations of violence on stage. This time, he turns the spotlight on children, both as victims and executioners, in the harrowing Medea’s Kinderen (Medea’s Children), to be performed at Teatre Lliure Montjuïc on July 21 and 22.

Mami, by Mario Banushi, introduces us to an Albanian creator who is making waves in Greece and across Europe. On stage at the Mercat de les Flors (Sala Maria Aurèlia Capmany; July 22 and 23), Banushi evokes his own childhood and his deeply personal relationship with motherhood.

The Teatre Grec venue will also host (on July 28 and 29) a new staging of a production by Tiago Rodrigues, the Portuguese director who had great success at the Grec a few years ago (By Heart, Grec 2019). He now returns with the Comédie Française in Hécube, pas Hécube, a play about an actress portraying a character whose story mirrors her own life. Rodrigues is currently the first non-French artistic director of the Avignon Festival.

Local Gems

In addition to the big international names, the Grec 2025 theatre program also features major productions led by companies from Barcelona, Catalonia, and the rest of Spain. La Jarra Azul concludes its trilogy on exile this year, staging the departure of the ship Massilia at the Teatre Akadèmia (June 18 to July 6). Meanwhile, La Perla 29, under the direction of Oriol Broggi, presents a new minimalist, performance-focused version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Teatre la Biblioteca (June 25 to July 26), with Lluís Soler as Prospero.

From Barcelona-born Emma Riverola, the play Clavells (Carnations) will be on at the Teatre Goya (June 25 to July 6), starring fellow Barcelonan Sílvia Marsó. From Helena Tornero, originally from Figueres, you can see Tu em vas prometre una història d’amor (You Promised Me a Love Story) at the Sala Beckett (June 26 to July 27). Can a love story still be written in this 21st century?

At Teatre Poliorama, a special cycle of three productions will spotlight Valencian companies whose activities were disrupted by the devastating 2025 DANA storms. The lineup includes Waterloo (June 25–29), Hoy no estrenamos (We’re Not Premiering Today, June 30–July 4), and L’últim ball (The Last Dance, July 7–11).

Other highlights include the new production by Ferran Madico, El somni de la senyora Macbeth (The Dream of Lady Macbeth) at Teatre La Gleva (June 27 to July 7), and Pau Roca’s stage adaptation of Édouard Louis’s novella Qui va matar el meu pare? (Who Killed My Father?) at Heartbreak Hotel (July 1–3). The festival will also premiere Josep Maria Miró’s latest play, El Monstre (The Monster), at Sala Beckett (July 3–27), and Sergi Pompermayer’s Grand Canyon at La Villarroel (July 6–August 3). Acclaimed actor Josep Maria Pou will deliver a standout performance as a troubled writer in Gegant (Giant) at Teatre Romea (July 5–August 3).

Lluïsa Cunillé also debuts a new work in collaboration with Xavier Albertí: Compto cada passa sobre la meva terra (I Count Every Step on My Land), playing at Sala Atrium from July 14 to 22. Other festival gems include: Manual per a éssers vius (Manual for Living Beings) by La Mula, a mind-bending performance at the CCCB on July 17 and 18 and Història de l’amor (The History of Love) by Agrupación Señor Serrano, performed with their distinctive multimedia style at Teatre Lliure de Gràcia from July 18 to 20.

The Spanish-language scene brings two major companies to Grec: La tristura, with Renacimiento (Renaissance) at Teatre Lliure Montjuïc – Sala Fabià Puigserver (July 5 and 6), a critical reflection on Spanish democracy and Centro Dramático Nacional, which presents Roberto Martín Maiztegui’s Los Brutos (The Brutes), a play about everything we discard in life, at Teatre Lliure de Gràcia (July 11 and 12).

Sardana Experiments (Sardana Superstar by Arnau Tordera I; Teatre Condal; July 2 to 6); critical visions of the upper class (Decadència by Steven Berkoff at Sala Atrium, directed by Glòria Balañà i Altimira, July 1 to 27); surreal stage antics with Los Torreznos (La Gente, Antic Teatre, July 24 to 27 — and don’t miss Kika Superputa from July 3 to 6 at the same venue!) are all part of the program. There will also be musical productions involving the Indi-Gest production company, the Barcelona Municipal Band led by José Rafael Pascual, and a cast of city actors. This is La nit del Músic Alt (The Night of the High Musician), exploring the origins and history of the musical genre. It will take place at the open-air Teatre Grec under the stars on July 25. Unmissable appointments include stage legends like Carme Sansa in Cartes d’amor (Love Letters) at La Villarroel on July 28, and a reinterpretation of The Odyssey by Alberto Conejero, directed by Moreno Bernardi (Sala Atrium, July 29, 30, and 31), rounding out the theatrical offerings.

Meanwhile, a series of museums and heritage sites across the city will host events curated by Barcelona’s creative factories and the artists they support. This is Creació i Museus (Creation and Museums), a cycle including shows such as: Assemblea coral ocellaire by Elena Maravillas (Fabra i Coats – Centre d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona; June 27), Dissenyar connexions by Cia Pagans (DHUB – Design Hub Barcelona; July 2 and 3), Double Beat by Rubén Ramos Nogueira (Museu de la Música; July 4 and 5), Naturstudium III by Luis Tabuenca i Les Percussions de Strasbourg (Oliva Artés – Museu d’Història de Barcelona; July 5) or Picassa by Lorena Nogal (Museu Picasso; July 6 and 7).

The youngest audiences should definitely check the programming at Sant Andreu Teatre (Fènix. The Firebird by La Maquiné; July 10 and 11, and Marceline on July 18 — the true story of a clown you didn’t know existed) or come to Espai Lliure, in Montjuïc, to see Gènesi by Oriol Bellvitge, winner of the Institut del Teatre award, among other theatre proposals for all ages.

If you don’t want to miss any show at the Grec 2025 Festival of Barcelona, check out the full program and make your selection.